Rail-chair.



J. D. YOUNG. RAIL CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7, 1912.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.1

.To all coho m it concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEFFEBSON' ID. YOUNG, OF GHATTANOOGA, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR TO-THE BOL'ILESS RAIL J'OIN'I COMPANY. OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A GORPOEATIONJ RAIL-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 7, 1912. Serial No. 702,206.

Be it known that I, J nrrnnson- D. Y'OUNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Qomanche and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in; Rail-' Chairs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railway rail joints, and it more particularly relates to an im roved rail chair.

n object of the invention is to provide an improved rail joint connection which may be qnickly and easily applied to railway rails of ordinary construction and by the employmentonly of ordinary tools and of unskilled labor.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a rail chair of improved construction, allof the elements of which are inter.

changeable and reversible- A still further object of the invention is ractical and thoroughly efficient us or retaining the adjacent ends of ils inzl periect alinement bot-h horizontall and ve ically.

A stil further bject of ,the invention, is

to provide a rail chair which may be manu-' factured by the ordinary machinery and the ordinary operations of casting, forging or rolling of metal, and by cutting and punching metal bars, no milling, planing or other similar machining being required.

' A still further object of the invention'is to provide a rail connectionby which the rails are permitted to have a slight spring action as therollin-g stock passes thereover.

Other objects and advantages may berecited hereinafter and in the. claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form apart of this-application, Figure 1 is a perspective view otmy. improved rail chair applied to the adjacent ends of two railway rails. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the principal member or body of my improved rail chair and of a rail section in position to be seated therein. Fig. -3- is a similar view of a slightly modified tom of the body. Fig. 4 is a perspectivesview of one oi the fish plate members or key mmhere. Fig. 5- is an enlarged en'd elevation- 1 notches.

of one of the fish plate members Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmental end elevation of the Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

body, slightly modified, and, .Fig. 7 is a I view, illustrating a wrought iron or steel body in one of its stages of manufacture.

Referring to the drawings in which similarreference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, thebase essentially comprises a horizontal base plate 10, base flanges 11 and vertical key-seating flanges 12. The top of the base plate comprises a rail seat 13 on which the adjacent ends of rails 14 are seated (see Fig. 1). In Fig.2 it will be seen that instead of sliding the rail ends into the chair or sliding the chair over the rail ends, the' latter may be lowered vertically onto the rail seat, or the latter may be raised'vertically into contact with the base of the rail. It will be seen, therefore, that it will not. be necessary to remove or disturb the position of the rails, in ap lying this improved chair thereto; since, y removing or partly removing the two ties which are adacent to the rail joint, the chair-base may be inserted under the rails and raised intoplace, whereupon, the ties may be properly placed under the respective endsof the v chair-base and secured thereto by means of spikes (not shown), in the notches 1 5.

The only alteration of the rails, prior to applying the chair-base, consists in cutting a notch 16 in the rail base flange, and obviously, this notch may be quickly and easily made, by sign ly-sawing a short distance into the base ange, at 17 and 18, and then. removing the portion between these saw cuts by means of a chisel and hammer.

The base is provided with a pair of stop lugs 19 (see Fig. 2), arranged on opposite sides and adjacentto opposite ends ofthe rail seatfl Elie notches '16 are made slightly longer than the lug 19, thereby providing a space 20 between each lug 19 and the end of the notch in therail, the latter being indicated in dotted lines,'in Fig. 2. It is ob- .vi'ous that, in order tofit this chair to the 'adj-acentends of rails,-the.notch es 16 must be made-in the opposite sides of the respeotive rails, and it is also obvious that, by

turning the rail chair horizontally through one hundred and eighty degrees,.the lugs, will chan e places with the respective he widthof each space 20 is equal to the extreme longitudinal movement of each rail end, in consequence of expan sion and contraction; therefore, the relative movement of the respective rails and 5 the rail chair is equalized; the expansion of the rails being thereby provided for, independently of each other.

The vertical flanges 12 are each provided with a key seat 21, a vertical shoulder 22 1 connecting the key seat with the. rail seat,

and the lateral edges of the rail base fit snugly between the shoulders 22, so that lateral movement of the rail base is impossible.

The height of the shoulders 22 is equal to 15 the thickness of the rail base at its outer edges.

In order to secure the rails to the chair base, I provide a pair of interchangeable and reversible fish platemembers, as illustrated separately in Figs. 4 and 5. Each fish plate member comprises a fish plate element or rail head support 23, a key element 24, a safety stop element and a spring element 26. The elements 23, 24 25 and 26 are rectilinear and parallel with each other. As shown in Fig. 1, each key element is seated within one of the key seats 21, said key element being provided with a horizontal portion 27, which rests upon the lower surface of the key seat, and an inclined portion 28 which bears upon the upper outer edge of the rail flange. The upper surface of the rail head support 23 fitssnugly under the'rail head, its inner surface 29 fitting snugly against the rail web. The safety stop elements 25 extend into close proximity with the rail, at the junction of the base and web, but there is no actual contact, normally, of the rail and the elements 25. However, the spaces 30 are greatly exag gerat ed in Fig. In practice, these spaces are of a width equal to about one hundredth of an inch. However, this width will vary according to attending circumstances such as variations in the dimensions of the rails and of the several elements of the rail chair; these variations, however, being slight when the parts are constructed with accurate machinery, proper allowance being made for the usual shrinkage, etc.

In consequence of the general curved contour of the fish plate members, including the spring elements, said fish plate members may be tightly and yet resiliently seated be- 55 tween the rail and the base of the rail chair,

and when so seated, the base of the rail is held firmly onto therail seat. Therefore, the rails do notdepend entirely upon the seat or u on the rail web for the support of 60 the rail lieads, the members 23 supporting the heads, while being supported by the key elements 24, through the medium of the.

spring elements 26. 4

From the foregoing it will be seen that it is impossible for either of the rail endsto' atu'res, the shrinkage be pressed down below the adjacent rail end, since both rail ends are firmly seated upon the rail seat and upon the head supporting elements 23.

In practice, assuming that a very heavy locomotive'is running at a high speed over a railway equipped with these improved rail chairs, and considering the well known tendency-of one rail end to bedepressed below the adjacent rail end, and assuming'that a considerable portion of the weight of said engine is applied at W (see Fig. l); the

rail on which the weight is applied may .be

assumed to move slightly downward; but, in doing so, it would necessarily move the center or medial portion of the base plate 10 downward therewith. In other words, the

base plate would be slightly curved, and in belng so curved, the tops of the flanges 12 would be pressed inward, thereby moving the tops of the. keys 24 inward. Therefore, it 'is obvious that since the members 23 will be. pressed downward and the tops of the members 25 would be; pressed inward, the

spring elements 26 would yield, and the stop elements 25 would be forced into contact or into proximity with the rails. While the base plate 10 is thus being moved downward the inner edges 29 of the elements 23 are pressed more tightly against the web of the adjacent rail end, thereby gripping the said adjacent end and carrying it down weight is applied. It.will be seen, therefore, that the tread surfaces of the rail ends are kept continually in alinement.

lt jiswell known that during low temperof the rails is such as to cause a considerable gap between the. adjacent rail ends, and in consequence of this gap, the repeated rolling of heavily loaded care over this gap mashes the exposed rail ends below the adjacent rail tread surfaces, and when thus mashed or depressed, each wheel that rolls thereover strikes forcibly upon the rail ends and increases the depression thereof. This knocking or hammering of the rail ends is minimizedby this improved rail chair, because of the cushioning efi'ect imparted, through the medium of the spring elements 26. This cushioning effect is of great importance for curved railroad tracks, since it is well known that, because of centrifugal force, the flanges of the locomotive wheels and car wheels bear forcibly against the vertical sides of the rail heads. This spring element 26 provides for cushioning the rail ends laterally; since it is ob; vious that when the rail head is forced laterally, the spring element yields, the space 30 allowing the yielding of the spring ele with the first said rail endto which the ment. It is obvious that the fish plate ele-. ments may be inserted; from either .,end of the base, and also, that either fishplateelement may be inserted on either side of, the

rail. In order to hold the fish plate, element against longitudinal movement and displacement, I provide a vertical key seat 31 in the vert-icai" side of each key element 24, I also provide 'a' key seat 32 in each key seat 21, said key seats '31 and ,32 registering with each other and registering with apertures 34and 35,in the base.-' A key or bolt 36 extends through said apertures and is seated within the registering key seats 31 and-32. The keys 36 may be snugly fitted in said key-seats and apertures, and if desirable, any proper means may be employed for securing them in place.

either by casting, forging or rolling, as will While I have shown the lugs19, in Fig. 2, having an inclination corresponding'to that of the rail base flanges, such exact conthe horizontal lug shown in Fig. 3. In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the elements are designed for carrying extra heavy loads, these elements being also designed to be made from cast iron. It is obvious, however, that this form of rail chair may be easily, cheaply and practically made from wrought iron or steel, by the ordinary processes of forging or rolling.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated a' form of blank from which the chair-base may be made, and this blank may be easily made be obvious, 'without explanation, to .those familiar with these arts. \Vhen this blank is formed by casting, it must be annealed and made malleable before being further operated upon. When, however, the blank is made of wrought metal, by forging or rolling, it may be run through any proper form.

of rolling or forging machine, for bulldozing it into the propershape. In thus operating upon the blank, the concaved portions 37 are supported, while pressureis applied to the curved portion 38, thereby straightening or leveling the portion 38, while causing. the flanges 12 to assume a vertical position. It wilLbe noted that the key seats 21 of the blank are slightly convexed, so'as to allow the proper and necessary flare to the shoulders 39 and 40. After these primary operations of forming the base, a block of proper size and construction (notshown) may be inserted between the flanges. 12, whereupon the blank may be again rolled or stamped, by means of any proper machine, for bringing it into its perfect size and form. I

When the chair bases are formed by rolling, there would be a difficulty in forming the lugs 19 perfectly and integrally with the blank. Therefore l have shown this blank without the lugs 19.; However, after the blanks are properly shaped, the notches 15 may be punche and at the same time, apertures 41 may be punched through the base plate for the reception of a shank 42 of a removable stop lu 19, a shoulder 19 being formed on one si e of the lug, for limiting the downward movement thereof, when heing inserted into the aperture.- This shank 42 may be secured in theaperture 4:1 by any proper means, if desirable; but in practice, no special means is required for holding the lug in place, since the-inclined surface 28 constitutes a means for this purpose.

The-key seats 31 and 32 may be easily formed by the process of rolling, said key seats being arcuate, and thereby providing suflicient clearance for the seat forming element of the tool. The flanges 12 may also be formed with depressions 44, so that the apertures 34 may be'easily punched during the operation of punching the apertures 41 and 15.

.From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a thoroughly practical, economical and efficient rail chair which may be made entirely by machinery used in the ordinary operations of forming, cutting and punching metal bars, and without the employment of relatively expensive machinery and expert labor, and it will also be seen that this improved rail chair is applicable to rails of ordinary construction, and is therefore fully capable of attaining the foregoing objects, and in a thoroughly practical and eflicient manner. I do not limit my in- .vention to the exact details of construction,

combination and arrangement of parts as herewith described and illustrated, but my invention may only be limited by a reasonable interpretation of the following claims.

What I claim is:

- 1. In combination with a rail chair,a base comprising a rail seat and vertical flanges having key seats extending throughout their length, a pair of fish platemembers each comprising a key and a rail head support and a spring element interposed between the key and the rail head support, each key being fitted into one of said key seats, the rail head support-s contacting with the under side of the rail h ad, each keyha-ving an inclined surface in contact with the rail ends, and means formed on the fish plate member for limiting thespring action of the spring element.

.' 2. In a rail chair, a fish plate member consisting of a key element and a. rail head support and a spring element between the key element and the rail head support and adapted to be fitted into a key seat of a rail chair base and in contact with the under side of rail ends seated on the base, said fish plate member having a safety stop element extending downwardly and inwardly into proximity with the rail web and base and adapted to move into contact withsaid-web and base when suflicient pressure is applied on the rails to overcome the resiliency of the spring element.

3. In a rail chair, a rail chair base having a rail seat for receiving the adjacent ends of notched rails, said rail seat having apertures registering with the notches of the 5 rails, lugs having shanks adapted to fit within the apertures While the lugs are seated in the notches of the rails, and fish plate members engaged between the rail and the chair base and adapted to retain the lug and shank in the notch and aperture re- 10 spectively.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JEFFERSON D. YOUNG.

\Vitnesses:

T. P. STIMPSON, J. H. INGRAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

